IEEE 802.11 is a set of standards for implementing a wireless local area network such as a wireless local area network (WLAN). IEEE 802.11 is a family of protocols that includes a series of half-duplex over the air modulation techniques that use the same basic protocol. The protocol defines the media access control (MAC) layer and the physical (PHY) layer.
IEEE 802.11 incorporates IEEE 802.1x, which defines the encapsulation of the extensible authentication protocol (EAP) over local area network (LAN) (EAPOL). Authentication using 802.1x involves a supplicant, for example a station, an authenticator, for example an access point, and an authentication server.
IEEE 802.11i provides a robust security network association (RSNA) involving a 4-way handshake and a group key handshake, which utilize authentication services and port access controls to establish and change the appropriate cryptographic key.